Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. It is the day before and here’s what we have for you.

The Hawaii Bowl will be played today with Alabama on the island to play Hawaii.

The NFL will start a game at 3 p.m., just for Christmas Eve.

It is probably too late to ask for some sense of social responsibility from sports and television, but the good fight still needs to be waged.

Many of those same people who wring their hands in dismay at the overcommercialization of the holidays will be ensconced on the couch, eyes riveted to the tube, demanding that no one interrupt them and the game, even if the family is gathered around the tree for Silent Night.

Is it really asking too much to have a couple of days without sports, to take the greedy hands of the TV/sports business complex out of the living room for Christmas?

On the Christmas day itself, we have the World Junior Hockey Championships, the NBA and the NFL all blasting away on your sets, starting at noon and going to midnight. They wouldn’t want to interrupt Christmas morning, not this year anyway.

Hundreds who work the games on radio, TV and in the print media will spend their Christmas in a hotel, calling home, and saying, “It’s just part of the business.”

They will be joined by the players, coaches, and stadium workers, who are at this moment busting their backs to get ready.

It IS all part of the business and most of the above folks love what they do and know how fortunate they are to have the jobs.

That does not negate the greed that inspires games to be played on these days and the substantial interruption it brings to so many lives. Neither does the adage deflect the diminution and disrespect playing games on Dec. 24 and 25 brings to the holidays themselves.

There was a time when a hue and cry went up if games were played on Christmas. However, once television executives had the public conditioned to one game, they just kept expanding the schedule.

For those who would prefer not to be conditioned, there is always an easy and effective answer.

Don’t turn the TV on.

You will not melt, the world will go on, you’ll see the highlights a million times on Sunday if you still care by then, and, yes Virginia, there will be more games on Sunday and Monday and forever and ever.

TV sports is my business and I love it. It is not life.

Life is what you miss watching games on Christmas.

Here’s hoping all have a joyous, peaceful, healthy and happy holiday.

Old Town native Gary Thorne is an ESPN and ABC sportscaster.